Former Navy SEAL, Author Next
TAMIU Sanchez Lecturer Tonight

Author and former Navy SEAL officer Eric Greitens will present the 2014 A. R. Sanchez, Sr. Distinguished Lecture Series on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Texas A&M International University Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall.

Admission is free of charge and open to the public.

Greitens’ lecture will be “Why it Takes the Heart and the Fist.”

Greitens, selected by TIME Magazine in 2013 as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, is the author of three books. His latest is The New York Times’ bestseller “The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL” (Mariner Books, 2012).

Born and raised in Missouri, he was educated in public schools. An Angier B. Duke Scholar at Duke University, he studied ethics, philosophy, and public policy. He was selected as a Rhodes and Truman Scholar, attending the University of Oxford from 1996 through 2000 and earning a master's degree in 1998 and Ph.D. in 2000.

His doctoral thesis, “Children First,” investigated how international humanitarian organizations can best serve war-affected children. He has worked as a humanitarian volunteer, documentary photographer, and researcher in Rwanda, Cambodia, Albania, Mexico, India, Bosnia, and Bolivia.

He served as the Commander of a Mark V Special Operations Craft Detachment, Commander of a Joint Special Operations Task Unit, and as Commander of an al Qaeda Targeting Cell.

In 2005, he was appointed by the President as a White House Fellow, and in 2011 the Association of the United States Navy named him Navy Reserve Junior Line Officer of the Year. His military awards include the Navy Achievement Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star.

Upon returning from Iraq in 2007, he founded The Mission Continues to challenge veterans to serve American communities. Through The Mission Continues fellowships, more than 680 post-9/11 veterans serve in communities throughout the United States, leading nearly 800 service projects and engaging 35,000-plus volunteers. Full employment, higher education or ongoing service often results.

The Manhattan Institute for Social Entrepreneurship listed Greitens among America’s most effective leaders and Goldman Sachs has recognized his innovative entrepreneurship.

In 2012, he received the Charles Bronfman Prize, which celebrates the vision and endeavor of an individual less than 50 years of age whose humanitarian work has contributed significantly to the betterment of the world.

TAMIU’s A. R. Sanchez, Jr. Distinguished Lecturer Series honors Antonio R. Sanchez (1916-1992). After 20 years as the owner of an office equipment business, Sanchez began buying oil and gas leases and used his earnings to establish a bank.

Sanchez, along with his son, A. R. Sanchez, Jr., and geologist Brian O’Brien, established the Sanchez-O’Brien Oil and Gas Corporation. Under his leadership as chairman, International Bank of Commerce grew to become International Bancshares Corporation, with branches in more than 90 communities throughout Texas and Oklahoma.

A.R. Sanchez, Sr. is best remembered in Laredo for his philanthropic efforts. Known for his work ethic and generosity, he was a major crusader for a four-year University in Laredo and a supporter of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. The lecture series is presented through the vision and generosity of Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Sanchez, Jr.

For additional information on the A. R. Sanchez, Sr. Distinguished Lecture Series, please contact the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at 326.2460.

Information is also available on the University’s website, tamiu.edu, and its social media sites on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.